What If?
by trekker4life
Summary: What if Kagome's nightmares came true? Could Inuyasha stop them? Read on to find out! Based on episode 100. Recent reformat.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi all! **_

_**I pulled this off and reloaded it. Didn't do much, just mainly some formatting changes to make it easier to read. But looking at it…yeesh…. I wish I had spent more time on this…. **_

_**Guys (and gals), please don't judge my writing on this – it was my first written and posted Inuyasha fanfic. It's based off of episode 100 – "Truth Behind the Nightmare: Battle in the Forest of Sorrow." You don't need to see the episode to understand it. **_

_**This is also the 1st arc of a story that will be 6 arcs total. I will have all main characters in them (no OC, until the last arc.), and involve everyone, but mainly focus on InuKag. All of them are continuous – although this is canon, I have aged the characters at the start of it all. Kagome is 17 here at the beginning of this fic. **_

_**Trekker**_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own any part of Inuyasha, created by Takahashi Rumiko.**

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"**What If?"**

Kagome was just inside the entrance to the shrine in her world. "Buyo's down there somewhere, but he won't come out," said Sota, holding the bowl of food he had tried to lure Buyo out with.

"Well," said Kagome, looking down at the well. "Why don't you go find him?" "Are you crazy?" said Sota, "It's so dark and creepy down there…you go." "Oh, alright," said Kagome, heading down the stairs.

As she reached the bottom, Buyo came out from behind the stairs and shot back up them. Upon reaching the top, he turned back to face the well, and hissed, loudly. Kagome turned to look at him.

"Huh? What's with you, Buyo?"

"Uh, sis?" said Sota, his voice shaking. "Take a look behind you!"

"What?" she said, turning back around. A thick, purple/black miasma was flowing out of the well and had started to creep along the floor towards the stairs. A laugh started to emanate from the well, low-voiced, and full of malice and confidence.

"No…not here!" said Kagome. She turned, running back up the stairs. She grabbed Sota's hand and pulled him out of the shrine, with Buyo and Naraku right on their heels.

They ran towards the house, and Kagome's mom and grandpa came running out to meet them. "What's wrong?" they cried.

Kagome yelled back at them to turn around and go back into the house, but they wouldn't listen. She looked over her should to see that Naraku was literally right behind them, almost within grabbing distance.

He launched an attack right at Kagome and Sota.

Kagome placed herself in front of Sota to shield him from the attack and waited for the impact…

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_**Yeah…pretty sucky…. It was really short, but from reading an A/N from when I first posted it, evidently I had to leave it off here because I was headed to a biology class…go fig. This fic is complete, so I'll just be straightening them up and posting them. **_

_**Trekker**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi All!**_

_**Here's chapter two…again, please don't judge me on this…. I was like 17 when I wrote it and posted it... And just a warning, Inu's a bit OOC…sorry...**_

_**Trekker**_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own any part of Inuyasha, created by Takahashi Rumiko.**

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**What If?**

**Chapter 2**

"NO!" yelled Kagome, sitting bolt upright. Taking a deep breath, she looked around. _Wait a sec, I'm still in the feudal era. That was just a dream._

"Hey, you okay?" said Inuyasha, coming over to sit beside her. "Yeah," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Just a nightmare. The same stupid nightmare I've had for the last two weeks straight."

Inuyasha frowned and put his arm around her shoulder. "So that explains why you've been so tired lately," he said. "Wanna talk about it?"

Kagome put her head on his shoulder, sighed, and said, "Do you remember when you fought Goramaru while the rest of us were caught in his poison cocoons?"

"Yeah," he answered, "To tell the truth though, I was rather worried about you guys for a while." Kagome was a little surprised at that, but decided not to worry about it. Shifting into a more comfortable position, she said, "Well, the nightmare I've been having is the same one Goramaru gave me."

Inuyasha looked at her, more than a little concern evident in his amber eyes, and said, "And what was that?"

"First, I have a question for you," said Kagome, "Why do you think you can pass through the Bone-Eater's Well?"

"Huh?" said Inuyasha, a little confused at this seemingly random question. "What do ya mean? It's 'cause of the jewel shards, isn't it?"

Kagome answered him, though still not looking up at him. "No, I don't think so. At least not with you, anyway. See, full demons can't go through the well at all, even if they have a shard of the jewel. Shippou's proof of that(1). And most humans can't go through at all and I have to have a shard of the jewel to pass through. But you don't need a shard to go through in either direction. I think it's because you're a half-demon. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Inuyasha, a little startled by this, takes a moment to respond. "Oh," he said, "I never thought of it that way."

Kagome finally looked up at him and said, "But you do realize that if you can pass freely through the well, other half-demons can, too. And that means Naraku." (2)

"What!" cried Inuyasha, very surprised at this idea. Kagome settled back down with her head on his shoulder and said, "That's what my nightmares have been about – Naraku coming to my era. They really scare me because you aren't there. But I always wake up before the end."

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome and pulled her closer to him. He didn't like the idea that Naraku might come after her in her own era. Who knew what kind of havoc that bastard could wreak before Inuyasha could get there himself?

Inuyasha placed his head on top of Kagome's and said, "I swear, if that ever happens, Kagome, I'll be there. I promise."

Kagome, nearly asleep again, just mumbled a 'thanks', then fell fully asleep, with Inuyasha's arm around her. Inuyasha followed suit soon after. They stayed in each other's arms until the morning light peeked over the tops of the trees.

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_**So, like I said, there's the second chap. Here's a few notes. **_

_**1 – Shippou is a full demon, yet cannot pass through the well even with close to half the jewel; See episode titled **_**Naraku's True Identity Unveiled**__

_**2 – Naraku **_**is**_** a half-demon; it's Onigumo's heart that keeps him so; see episode titled **_**Kikyou, Captured by Naraku**__

_**One other note, Kagome is a full human, yet she cannot pass through the well without a jewel shard (See **_**Go Home to Your Own Time, Kagome**_**); yet Inuyasha, a half demon, has been seen passing through the well without a shard many times, the most noticeable of which is in the episode **_**Terror of the Ancient Noh Mask**_** – there, Souta had all of the shards, yet Inuyasha was still able to pass into the modern world from the past. **_

_**Thus, that is my reasoning for the theory explained in the story, and I stick by it. Yes, the Kotodama rosary may have something to do with it, but the half-demon thing makes must more sense in my opinion.**_

_**Trekker**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi All!**_

_**Here's the third chap. Lemme know what you think….**_

_**Trekker**_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own any part of Inuyasha, created by Takahashi Rumiko.**

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_**What If?**_

_**Chapter 3**_

The next morning, Kagome and Inuyasha were on the move again, heading back to Kaede's village. "Miroku and Sango said they'd be back in about a week or so, right?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah," said Kagome. "That sounds about right. Sango needed to repair her Hiraikotsu, and Miroku's staff wasn't looking the best, so they took a trip to Sango's village to do some repairs. Shippou volunteered to go with them to help keep Miroku in line. They also said they'd meet us at Kaede's village when they're done. So, for the next 5 days or so, it's just the two of us again!"

"Oh," said Inuyasha, not really paying much attention to that last bit. "If we keep up our pace, we should be at Kaede's by sundown."

"Sundown?" repeated Kagome, turning her head to look at him. "That reminds me, Inuyasha. I need to go back home to my era for a couple of days."

Inuyasha, none too pleased about this, stopped in his tracks and hollered, "What? Why? No, wait, don't tell me – it's another 'test'!"

_I knew he would respond like this_, thought Kagome, then speaking out loud, a touch hotter than she meant to. "For your information, it is. If I go home as soon as we get to the well, I promise I'll be back by sundown the day after tomorrow."

Inuyasha seemed to deflate slightly, perhaps out of resignation to the fact that she'd go home whether he let her or not, or perhaps it was out of fear of hearing the one word he dreaded more than all others – 'OSUWARI!'

"Well, okay," he consented, "But if you're not back by sundown, I'm comin' to get you."

"Deal," said Kagome, then both of them fell silent during the rest of the walk to Kaede's.

They did indeed make it to Kaede's by sundown. Kagome gathered all of her stuff, and after saying a quick good-bye to Inuyasha – whose response was a half-hearted 'Feh' – she jumped down the well. She got home, hauled her enormous yellow backpack out of the well, then went upstairs and set to work studying for the test.

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_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

Kagome's alarm clock went off _way_ too early, at least as far as she was concerned. _Oh, not only was I up late last night, but I had that same stinkin' dream again_, she thought, going through her routine to get ready for school. _I hope those dreams stop soon. I need SLEEP!_

Once at school, however, she was able to push her tiredness and worries to the back of her mind for a while in order to concentrate on the material she had studied the night before and got through the test without too much trouble.

She was able to get through the day, and when school let out, she went home and started to work around the house – doing laundry, making snacks for everyone in the feudal era, restocking her first-aid supplies, etc., etc.

While she was folding the last batch of clean clothes, her mom came in to see if she needed any help. "Oh, no thanks, mom," said Kagome, yawning a bit, "This is the last load."

"You sound tired, Kagome," said her mom. "That's probably because I am," replied Kagome, smiling. "Hey mom, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, sweetie, anytime," said her mom, sitting down on the couch beside Kagome.

"Well, have you ever had a dream that just would stop? I mean, kept coming for a couple of weeks?"

After thinking for a second, her mom answered. "Two, I think."

"Did either of them come true?" asked Kagome, still folding the clothes. "One did. In that one, I was marring your father," her mother explained. "I had that one every night for at least a week. Anyway, the day I stopped having it was the day your father asked me to marry him. The second never did become real."

Kagome folded the last shirt and, standing up, put it in the basket. "Thanks, mom. I think I'll go put these away and get to bed. Maybe if I get to bed a little earlier, it'll help. 'Night, mom."

"Good night, Kagome," said her mom. Kagome went upstairs, put the clothes away, sat down on her bed, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

When she woke up the next morning, something felt weird. Kagome couldn't figure out what it was until she got to school. She hadn't had that dream last night!

That realization put her a little on edge. She couldn't concentrate and one of her friends had to tell her that she got a 95 on her test, which was the highest grade she'd gotten in a long while.

After school, Kagome and her friends went to their favorite fast-food place for a celebratory dessert. Once they had chosen seats and started to eat, Yuka spoke up. "Hey, Kagome, are you okay? You've been acting more distracted than usual today."

"Huh? Oh," said Kagome, a little startled, for her mind had been 500 years in the past. "I'm alright. Just a lack of sleep." "Are you sure that's all, Kagome?" asked Ayumi.

Kagome looked down at her hot-fudge sundae and said slowly, "No, I guess that's not all. I'm worried about a friend. There's this guy that really, _really_, doesn't like him and I'm afraid he's gonna get himself killed if the other guy comes after him."

"Oh," said Eri. "I guess you can't convince your friend to stay hidden 'til the other guy cools off a bit, can you?"

Kagome laughed a bit, then said, "Hah! It'd be easier to keep the sun from shining than to keep him in hiding." She looked at her watch and realized she only had about 2½ hours until sundown, and she still had to eat dinner with her family and pack! "Oh my gosh, I have to go. It's getting kind of late. I'll see you guys later!"

"Bye, Kagome," said her friends, in unison, as she walked out of the restaurant, heading for home.

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_**Ok, that's that end of that one. Evidently, I had to cut this one short because of a bio class too…huh...**_

_**Trekker**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi All!**_

_**Yeah…this chap is one of the more interesting ones... Have fun...**_

_**Trekker**_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own any part of Inuyasha, created by Takahashi Rumiko.**

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_**What If?**_

_**Chapter 4**_

Once Kagome got home after leaving her friends, she finished packing and did some last minutes things around the house. By that point, it was almost 7pm. _Maybe my dream won't come true,_ thought Kagome, _I mean, sundown is only an hour and a half away and even Naraku can't do too must damage in that amount of time, can he?_

Kagome's mom called her into the kitchen. "Yeah, Mom?" said Kagome. "Would you please go get Souta?" asked her mom while stirring a pot on the stove. "He's in the shrine house looking for Buyo and the fudge is almost done. You know how he loves to like the spoon."

Kagome said she would and headed out the door. When she got to the shrine and pulled open the door, Souta was standing at the top of the stairs, with a bowl of food in his hand.

"Souta, come on insi–"

Kagome broke off, having gotten a feeling of _major_ déjà vu. The next few minutes felt like she was walking in a dream. A very familiar dream.

Walking down the stairs. Buyo rushing past her back up them. Souta's warning. The miasma. The laughter. Running up the stairs and out of the shrine. Her mom and grandpa running out to meet them. Naraku getting closer and closer. Using her body as a shield to protect Souta…

**(A/N: I bet you thought that's where I was going to leave it off. Well, I thought about it, and I decided to be nice. LOL Besides – I already left you at another cliffie in the first chapter that was at the same place!)**

The sound of Naraku's attack coming closer pulled Kagome back to reality. She threw herself and Souta to the left, trying to dodge the attack. It worked…mostly. The tail end of the attack caught her on her upper right arm, causing her to hiss slightly in pain when she sat up.

"Sis," said Souta, still a little shell-shocked. "You're hurt!"

Standing up, Kagome helped Souta to his feet and said, "It's nothing. I've been hurt much worse than a little scrape before. Let's go." They started to run back to the house, catching up with their mom and grandpa along the way. Naraku followed, but slower than before, like he was waiting for something.

Once the family was inside the house, Kagome told her mom and grandpa to take Souta and go to the basement. She then turned and ran upstairs to her room. Her mom called after her, but she was already halfway up the stairs.

Kagome grabbed her first aid kit and was headed out of her room when she noticed her bow and quiver of arrows propped up next to her backpack. "Oh," she said to herself. "I forgot I brought those back with me. I'm glad I did, though."

Grabbing them, she ran back down the stairs to find Naraku nearly inside the house and Souta waiting at the top of the basement stairs for her.

Not stopping to think, Kagome threw the first aid kit at Souta and turned to face Naraku. Souta caught the kit and watched his sister place an arrow in her bow, aim, and fire. The arrow didn't hit Naraku, but instead hit the floor just in front of him.

"Missed again, eh?" said Naraku, a smirk crossing his features.

_I'd like to wipe that smile off your face for good,_ thought Kagome.

Aloud she said, "I don't think so. I hit just where I meant to."

That point was proven almost immediately, when Naraku tried to step past the arrow and was stopped by a barrier. Kagome turned back to Souta and they hurried down the stairs, leaving a none-too-happy Naraku behind.

Half-way down the stairs, Kagome stopped and fired another arrow into that side of the door. "That should buy us a little more time," said Kagome, coming back down the stairs to join her family.

Kagome's mom and grandpa were looking at her a little uncertainly. "Kagome," her mom asked. "Who was that? And why did he attack us?"

"Yes," said her grandpa. "Your mother brings up a valid point. However, I'd wager that this has something to do with your visits to the feudal era, am I right? What exactly do you do over there?"

Kagome looked at everyone, feeling slightly uneasy, then bowed her head and sighed. Looking up at them again, she said, "Okay. I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything."

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_**I thought that was a cliffie? Geez Louise... And just in case anyone's wondering where Buyo is, when he took off out of the well house, he really took off…he's hiding in the storehouse.**_

_**Trekker**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hi all! **_

_**I did make one comment in my last A/N that I still agree with…my life really should belong in the nuthouse….**_

_**Trekker**_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own any part of Inuyasha, created by Takahashi Rumiko.**

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**What If?**

**Chapter 5**

Kagome did tell her family everything. Starting from the first time she was pulled into the feudal era by Mistress Centipede to meeting Sesshoumaru, Shippou, Miroku, and Sango, to who Naraku is and what he's done. Oh, and let's not forget Kikyou and Kouga. She finished in just over an hour, meaning sunset was only about 20 minutes or so away.

"Well, that's it," said Kagome, feeling rather nervous at this point, "What do you think?"

If her family was shocked by Naraku's attack, that paled in comparison to what they were feeling now. "Frankly, Kagome," said her mom, who had recovered from the shock first. "I'm not sure what to think. It all sounds too fantastic to be real."

Kagome looked at her mom and said, "Mom, I swear it's all true. I understand why you might feel that way, though. I mean, if I wasn't a part of all of it whenever I go back, I'd probably think it was a fantasy story, too. But for me, Inuyasha, and the others, it's not a fantasy, it's reality."

"Mom, think about it," said Sota, who received a grateful look from Kagome for speaking up. "How else could Kagome have learned to shoot an arrow like that? Or know how to avoid that guy? She had to have learned that in the feudal era. And she and her friends must be decent fighters, because they're alive. If they weren't, from what I saw of that guy and from what Kagome has said, they'd have been dead way before now."

"Thanks a bunch, Sota," said Kagome, who looked at her watch and saw what time it was. "Inuyasha will be here in about 20 minutes to a half hour, depending on how impatient he's getting. We just have to keep away from Naraku until then. But those arrows won't hold forever, and there's no way out of this basement."

At this, Kagome's grandpa got up and started walking around the basement walls, as if looking for something.

"What are you doin', Gramps?" asked Sota.

The elder man finally stopped at a large old box, about the size of a refrigerator and started trying to move it while explaining. "My father once told me of passage between this cellar and the well-house. It was used to store grain, potatoes, and such. But when my father was a child, the passage was sealed with a door on both ends and it hasn't been opened since."

As he was explaining, Kagome, Sota, and their mom came over and helped to move the box out of the way. Just as Grandpa finished his explanation, the box moved and a door was revealed.

Kagome tried the door, but it was stuck fast. Sota came over and the two of them tried brute force – in other words, ramming the door with their shoulders – to open it. The first try budged the door a little, but not enough.

Suddenly a loud BANG issued from above their heads.

"What was that?" asked Kagome's mom.

Kagome responded, worry creeping into her voice. "The first arrow I used to place a barrier has failed. The second won't last much longer. Come on, Sota. Let's get this door open."

This time, the door gave way with no warning, so Kagome and Sota fell to a heap on the floor.

"Let's pull the box back in front of the door to hide it. That may buy us a few more minutes," said Kagome, getting up off the floor.

They did so and, after shutting the door and Kagome fired an arrow into it, raced down the tunnel to the well house.

Once there, Kagome fired a fourth arrow into the door on that side. She turned to her family. "Okay. That should gain us a few minutes. We just have to hold out until Inuyasha gets here, which should be any minute now."

A second BANG sounded from the house.

Sota, getting a little freaked now, said, "That was another arrow, wasn't it? He'll be here soon!"

Kagome looked at him and the rest of her family. "Yes, it was another arrow. But don't worry. Once Inuyasha gets here, he and I will drive Naraku away so he can't hurt any of you. Now, I want all of you to find a spot to hide and stay in here. I'll try to keep him busy until Inuyasha comes. But I want all of you to stay hidden, no matter what. 'kay?"

Her family agreed, rather reluctantly, and hid themselves behind several crates on the lower level of the well house.

Kagome ran up the stairs, opened the sliding door, and waited. She wasn't standing there long before – BANG! The third arrow was gone, soon followed by the fourth. BANG!

A few seconds later, Naraku floated out of the well, and spotted Kagome. She ran out of the well house with Naraku hot on her heels.

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_**So, yeah…that's the fifth chap. Only one more, thank kami...**_

_**Trekker**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi All!**_

_**Well, here's the final chap of my first fanfic…let's see what you guys think of it.**_

_**Trekker**_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own any part of Inuyasha, created by Takahashi Rumiko.**

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**What If?**

**Chapter 6**

While her family waited anxiously inside the shrine, Kagome had gotten Naraku's attention. She fired a few arrows, trying to hit him or at least slow him down, but most of the next 20 minutes or, so she spent running around and dodging his attacks. She was successful in this to the point that Naraku was, well, highly ticked. Once he had enough, he slithered out one of his tentacles in Kagome's path to trip her up, literally.

Kagome's foot caught on the tendril, and she fell to her knees. Naraku took advantage of her vulnerability and sent out a blast intended to kill her. Kagome waited for the impact...

But it never came.

Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha standing there, evidently having just used Tetsusaiga to deflect the attack, for several of the trees to the right had scorched tops. He turned to look at her.

"Hey, you ok?" Kagome smiled and stood up.

"Yeah, I am now! So how to we get Naraku back to the feudal era? I mean, we can't let him stay here. The damage he could cause here would off the charts, and the news crews would have a field day with this."

'_Off the charts'? 'field day'? I have no idea what she's talking about, but it can't be good,_ thought Inuyasha. _Naraku's not moving. It's almost like he's in a trance, or waiting for something. We should do something now._ He turned back to Kagome. They had to act before Naraku recovered from whatever had fallen on him. "I think we have to lure him through with something, something that he'd be sure to follow. But what?"

Kagome thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Me."

"WHAT!" cried Inuyasha. "I don't think so! Are you nuts? I won't let you!"

Kagome looked at him, her expression giving out all sorts of clues that she had expected that response. "Look, it has to work. He came here after me, so it makes sense that he would follow me back through. You can wait here to make sure he does."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to argue with what she had just said, but Kagome continued before he had the chance to say anything.

"And on the off chance that he doesn't follow me, you are better equipped to drive him back. And given what I have just done, I think I am more than capable of holding him off for the few minutes it would take to either drive him through or for the few seconds for him to pass through the well."

To say that Inuyasha didn't like this would be a huge understatement, but he accepted it...mostly because he couldn't think of better plan.

"All right," said Inuyasha, "Let's go."

They started to move towards the shrine; their movement caused Naraku to break out of whatever trance he had been in. He followed them as they ran. Inuyasha broke away from Kagome in front of the shrine, staying just outside the door while she went inside.

If Naraku followed Kagome, Inuyasha would be right on his heels. If he didn't, then Inuyasha would be standing by to force him back through the well.

Naraku followed Kagome.

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Kagome ran into the shrine, and as she did, she saw Souta start to emerge from his hiding place. "Souta, stay hidden!" was all she had a chance to say before Naraku entered the shrine. She jumped down the last few stairs, ran the few steps to the well, and jumped through, praying that Naraku would follow her through the well, not stay and possibly harm her family.

She climbed out of the well in record time, though that was almost not enough, for Naraku got within a hand's reach from her before she got out.

**- In the Modern World -**

As soon as he saw Naraku enter the shrine, Inuyasha followed suit. Souta popped his head out from behind the box he was hiding behind.

"That big guy followed Kagome through the well!"

Inuyasha stopped, poised at the edge of the well. "Thanks, kid. You and your family stay hidden until one of us comes to tell you it's okay." And with that, he jumped up and into the well.

**- In the Feudal Era -**

When Inuyasha emerged from the well, he expected to find Kagome fighting Naraku and giving him a run for his money. He didn't like to admit it, but Kagome _was_ a strong fighter, and could hold her own against many a youkai. But, he supposed, part of the reason he didn't voice this thought was because a small part of him enjoyed protecting her. Not the fact that she was in danger, he hated that part, but protecting the ones he loved always gave him a sense of purpose, of belonging.

Whenever he thought things like this, however, he turned his thoughts to something else, for he inevitably began to wonder if Kagome returned his love.

There! He said it! He loved her. More than he ever imagined he could. But the problem was who could ever love a half-breed like him - an outcast, a hanyou?

But that was not the scene he saw when he jumped from the well. Kagome was simply standing there looking up, bow and arrow drawn, but held loosely in front of her.

"What happened?" he said, walking over to her. "Where's Naraku?"

She turned to look at him. "I don't really know. I came out of the well and Naraku was right behind me. I pulled out my bow and arrow to fight, but he just kept going up and up. Didn't even stop, in fact, I think he actually sped up. Maybe he didn't think that you'd be there, and that scared him."

"Maybe," said Inuyasha, "For Naraku to not attack when he had a prime opportunity like that... Anyway, we'll discuss it later. I told your family that one of us would be back to give them the all clear. Why don't you do that, and you can gather your things at the same time? And I'll go tell Kaede about all this."

Kagome agreed and they parted ways: Kagome back to the modern era and Inuyasha to Kaede's hut.

Kagome gathered her things and was back in about a half-hour. She returned to the feudal era and headed to the village. She realized, not for the first time, that the feudal era was seeming more and more like home and that the modern era was seeming more like a foreign place every time she went there.

She supposed it was because she had spent and was spending so much more time here than there. Another thing was her friends here. Sango was like a sister, someone she could share anything and everything with. Miroku was almost like an older brother. _Almost_. If he just control that _hand _of his... When he couldn't, he earned himself either a red handprint on his face or a whack on the head – courtesy of the Hiraikotsu – from Sango. Though he really hadn't done that to anyone other than Sango in a long time.

Kagome always smiled when she thought of that. Sango really did care for Miroku, no matter how she denied it, and vice versa. They'd be an interesting couple. Shippou was turning more and more into a son, albeit an adopted one, but a son all the same. He evidently had lost his mother some time before Kagome met him, and his father right before, thanks to the Thunder Brothers. He had started to travel with them because he did not have any place to go, but before long, Kagome had started to feel like his mother, with Inuyasha as a reluctant father-figure and no one thought to turn him away. Although, she didn't mind that he thought of her as a mother; it felt good to be needed like that.

Thinking about Inuyasha always lead to thinking about her feelings for him. When she first met him, he was a stupid, arrogant, insolent jerk. He annoyed her more than anything, or anyone, else. But now, he had...changed, somehow. She hadn't sat him in a while, at least not for any of the original reasons she had sat him in the beginning for, like trying to kill her.

He still was far from perfect, however. She didn't see why he got so jealous when she merely said hello to Kouga, yet he didn't understand why she left nearly every time he went to see Kikyou. She realized she loved him, but she didn't see any reason for him to love her in return.

He had Kikyou back; she was just a girl in the wrong time, caught up in a battle that wasn't hers, and a weak human on top of it. But Kagome kept coming back, again and again. Her greatest wish was for him to live and be happy. Her greatest fear was that, when they did complete their quest and the Shikon Jewel, Inuyasha would use it to become full demon, and forget all of them, forget her. But if that made him happy, she would support him fully, and not tell him of her fears, her feelings.

By this time in her musings, her feet had taken her to the entrance of Kaede's hut. She pushed the bamboo curtain to the side and entered. Inuyasha was sitting around the small fire in the center of the floor with Kaede sitting across from him. Both of them looked up and Kaede asked Kagome how she was doing.

"Alright, I guess. Still a little shaken, though." Kagome crossed the room to sit beside Inuyasha.

"That is understandable," said Kaede. "Inuyasha and I have been discussing this latest attack."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, a questioning look in her eyes. He spoke up. "I figure that now that Naraku knows that I can pass through the well, he'll think twice about going through. There's only 4 shards left, and we know where 3 of them are, so we'll have to meet him face-to-face soon."

"So, does that mean we'll head out to look for the last few shards once Miroku and Sango come back?" asked Kagome.

"Yeah, but for now, I think we all oughta get some sleep," replied Inuyasha. Kagome and Kaede agreed, and pulled out their sleeping mats while Inuyasha headed outside to his favorite perch in the Sacred Tree.

A few hours late, Kaede was sound asleep, but Kagome was still tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She finally gave up about 1-2 in the morning and decided to take a walk to clear her head so she could sleep.

_Inuyasha will probably yell at me for walking through the forest at night,_ she thought. _But I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Well, speak of the devil..._ She had reached the Sacred Tree and had found Inuyasha asleep at the base of it. She stopped and knelt in front of him. _He looks so sweet when he's asleep. Like he's at peace. It's as if all the worries and problems he tries so hard to hide just disappear._

Just then, Inuyasha woke up and looked up to find Kagome staring at him. "Hey," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "What're you doing up?"

"Nothing, I just can't sleep," replied Kagome, sitting down beside him.

"Well, this evening was pretty eventful, so your body's probably still on edge," said Inuyasha, a slight smile to his voice.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Kagome, not looking up at him.

Inuyasha frowned and said, "Ok, spill. What's wrong?"

That got her attention. Kagome looked up and opened her mouth to say that nothing was wrong, but Inuyasha interrupted her before she could say anything. "And don't tell me 'nothing'. I think I know you better than that by now!"

Kagome looked back down at the ground, wrapped her arms around herself, and spoke. "I just keep thinking about what happened today. Or what could have happened if you hadn't shown up when you did."

Inuyasha frowned and said, a little confused, "What do ya mean? From what I saw, you were doing a pretty good job of holding him off til I got there. And I did keep the promise I made to you – I did get there, even if it was a little too close for comfort."

"I know," said Kagome. "And I'm glad you came when you did. It's just, well, I'm worried about my family. I mean, what if he went through the well again, and we didn't know it? The damage he could do...it scares me."

Inuyasha placed his arm around Kagome, pulling her closer to him and covering her with part of the sleeve of his haori. "Well," he said. "At least it shouldn't be too much longer before we get rid of him."

Kagome looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, with there only being one shard still on the loose, as soon as it has been found and someone ends up with the other three, we will have to battle Naraku for his portion of the jewel. Then we can end this, once and for all."

Kagome settled back down with her head on Inuyasha's shoulder once again, and said, yawning widely, "Yeah, that makes sense. We can figure out what our next plan of action is once Miroku and Sango return." She yawned again. "Good night, Inuyasha." Not ten seconds later, she had fallen asleep.

Inuyasha turned his head to look at her, careful not to move his body for fear of disturbing her. All of a sudden, he was struck by how much trust she had to have in him to fall asleep next to him. Most humans wouldn't even touch him, much less stay with him or tend to his numerous battle wounds like Kagome had.

Ever since he had first met her, and realized that she truly wasn't Kikyou, he had known that she wasn't the same as the people from his time. She accepted him for who he was, didn't try to change him, and _trusted_ him. Most people treated hanyou with distrust, disrespect, fear, hatred, or ignorance. The last was probably the worst. He could deal with being hated or feared, but it was when he was treated as nothing or like he wasn't even there that got to him.

Kagome had never done that, and if she ever did, Inuyasha didn't know how he would handle it. For now, though, he was just content that she was here, by his side once again.

He smiled, settled himself down to sleep, and whispered, "I promise, Kagome. We _will_ defeat Naraku, and if I have anything to say about it, nothing will happen to you or your family."

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_**So, that's it for What If? The next arc semi-connects with this one... And it'll have Kouga in it for our wolf lovers out there... **_

_**Oh, and btw – in case you were wondering where Inuyasha was the whole time Naraku was in Kagome's era and why he didn't smell Naraku, Inuyasha was helping out Kaede in her herb garden, and he turned out to be allergic to a couple of them and couldn't anything for a long while. I just couldn't think of a way to insert that into the story. **_

_**Trekker**_


End file.
